The Utah Jazz will be celebrating the culture and tradition of the Philippines on the first of two international theme nights, starting on Wednesday, Jan. 19 with Filipino Night presented by Socios.com against the Houston Rockets at Vivint Arena.
Starting at $25, fans can purchase an upper bowl ticket which includes a limited-edition Filipino Night T-shirt (sizes subject to availability). Packages, including lower bowl seats for $120, are available for sale at www.utahjazz.com/tickets/plans. Game time is 7 p.m.
The commemorative T-shirt design by artist Erwin Hines features the Tagalog word “Pamayanan,” which translates to “community.” Tagalog is the Austronesian regional language that is widely spoken in the Philippines.
Tickets purchased by Jazz players have been donated to local organizations, including the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Utah, National Federation of Filipino American Associations and the Pilipino American Association of Utah.
Game night will include cultural entertainment and other related activities.
The Jazz-Rockets game is expected to be a reprise of a history-making moment earlier this season when the Jazz played at Houston. That game marked the first time two Filipino American players shared the court during an NBA game, featuring Utah’s Jordan Clarkson and the Rockets’ Jalen Green. Clarkson’s grandmother hails from the Philippines, as does Green’s grandfather. Clarkson also represented the Philippines national team at the 2018 Asian Games.
As the Jazz continue to celebrate cultural diversity, a second international night will be held on March 16 with French Night presented by Socios.com against the Chicago Bulls at Vivint Arena.
Jazz teams have typically had an international flavor with the current roster including Joe Ingles (Australia), Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia), Rudy Gobert (France) and Udoka Azubuike (Nigeria). The 2021-22 NBA season began with 109 international players from 39 countries on the opening night rosters.